Sure, it’s easy to do your holiday shopping at Barnes & Noble or Toys ‘R’ Us, but you can do that in any part of the country.

Here in New York, we’re lucky to have hundreds of wonderful specialty stores – those “shops around the corner” that Meg Ryan got so worked up about in 1998’s “You’ve Got Mail.”

These neighborhood bookstores and toy shops are places where the people behind the counter really care about what they’re selling. They offer personalized attention, good recommendations and relief from the monotony of chain stores.

Call for holiday hours and be on your way.

TOYS

The Enchanted Forest

85 Mercer St., near Spring Street; (212) 925-6677

Heaped with stuffed animals, mobiles and puppets of all kinds, this may be the most enchanting toy store in town. The plush kangaroo and joey ($525) will win your heart and threaten your wallet, but you can also scoop up a vintage pinball game for $18 and stocking stuffers for under $5. – Barbara Hoffman

Mary Arnold Toys

1010 Lexington Ave., between 72nd and 73rd streets; (212) 744-8510

Ask anyone who grew up on the Upper East Side, and they’ll wax nostalgic about this well-stocked shop, which has been in the neighborhood for 72 years. You’ll find learning toys like electronic globes, a wide range of children’s books and one of the city’s largest collections of dolls, from $30 models that are safe for the bathtub to $300 collectibles by Madame Alexander. – Russell Scott Smith

Scholastic Store

557 Broadway, at Prince Street; (212) 343-6166

This pleasant, two-level store is home to all things Harry Potter, from Hedwig costumes to Hagrid dolls and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. Naturally, it’s big on books, but you’ll also find a talking Teaching Cash Register, a musical Alphabet Bus and a K’nex Super Amusement Park ($100), with three motorized rides. Themed gift baskets, too. – B.H.

This place is legendary among graphic designers and magazine art directors. They go nuts for the not-inexpensive modern furniture and housewares, from Alfa sofas to coffee pots by Urbino. If you’re in a hurry, go directly to the express gift line for pre-wrapped pleasures like the $40 Slim Light (a tiny, battery-powered, swiveling lamp) and hand-painted coasters ($60). – B.H.

Sohome

499 Broadway, between Spring and Broome streets; (212) 226-5446

Think Bed, Bath and Beyond is your only source for Lucite toilet lids embedded with U.S. currency? Sohome has that and plenty more, like fluffy robes, scented soaps, shower curtains, and super-absorbent microcotton towels. Alas, it’s been discovered; best to get there as soon as it opens. – B.H.

LINENS

Schweitzer Linens

1132 Madison Ave., between 84th and 85th streets; (212) 249-8361

Madison Avenue is the place for 720-thread-count Egyptian-cotton sheets and other luxurious linens. If price is no object, check out the street’s super-posh boutiques Pratesi and Porthault. But if you want something a little more reasonable, Schweitzer is your place. It’s like walking into the Metropolitan Museum’s Louis XIV rooms – and actually being able to buy the lushly embroidered spread right off the bed. – R.S.S.

Harris Levy

278 Grand St., between Forsyth and Eldridge streets; (212) 226-3102

For real bargains on linens, however, try this Lower East Side warehouse, which sells high-quality sheets, towels and tablecloths for significantly less than you’ll find on Madison Avenue. They specialize in imported fabrics from Italy and France, and will even set you up with the European makers for custom designs. – R.S.S.

KITCHENWARE

Bowery Kitchen

In Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., at West 16th Street; (212) 376-4982

Restaurateurs buy in bulk from huge warehouse stores located actually on the Bowery. But amateur foodies can get similar supplies at this Chelsea Market shop, where you’ll find professional-quality Sabatier knives and Swiss Diamond cookware alongside shelves of heavy-duty Corning china cups for only a buck apiece. – R.S.S

Broadway Panhandler

477 Broome St., at Wooster Street; (212) 966-3434

Not for nothing do shopping-tour groups now stop at this legendary SoHo cooking store. Famed for its knives and cut-rate prices, Panhandler is a foodie’s dream of the high tech and homey. Go for the Kitchen Aid Mixers ($240) in light pink or tangerine; the Bourgeat copperware, and “the new fondue pots” – Raclette sets, with eight shovel-like pans for melting cheese. – B.H.

BOOKS

Shakespeare & Co.

716 Broadway, at Washington Place; (212) 529-1330

If you absolutely must have the next Harry Potter book in its British edition, this branch of the plucky independent bookstore is the place to find it. The store has a large section of books published in England and is especially strong in film, TV and theater – not to mention erotic picture books. – R.S.S.

St. Marks Bookshop

31 Third Ave., at Ninth Street; (212) 260-7853 Just steps from New York University is this great brainiac bookstore, which caters to a college crowd with well-considered collections of poetry, critical essays, indie magazines and edgy contemporary-art books. You’ll find Noam Chomsky’s latest at the counter, along with just about everything printed by McSweeney’s Press. – R.S.S.

Three Lives & Co.

154 W. 10th St., at Waverly Place; (212) 741-2069

Deep in the heart of the West Village lies this book lover’s paradise where the latest best-sellers nest comfortably alongside far more literary offerings. Local authors stop by for reading as well as browsing in the eclectic collection – and the staff’s recommendations are unfailingly on target. – Debra Birnbaum

RECORDS

Footlight Records

113 E. 12th St., between Third and Fourth avenues; (212) 533-1572

Sinatra lives at this charming East Village throwback – and so do Johnny Mathis, Ray Conniff and Guy Lombardo. Footlight specializes in Broadway and movie soundtracks, and they have huge collections (on CD and vinyl) of big-band and easy-listening albums. Also, it’s the best place in the city to find those vintage Richard Pryor or Bob Newhart comedy records you grew up with. – R.S.S.

Rocks in Your Head

157 Prince St., between Thompson Street and LaGuardia Place; (212) 475-6729 This is just what a downtown New York record store should be, with lots of skater kids hanging around and a guy behind the register who looks like he’s in a purple haze. You can get the mainstream stuff here, if you can bear withering looks from the counter help. But the store is best for the latest indie NYC rock (the Rapture, for example) and imports by hot British bands such as the Streets and Dizzee Rascal. – Tom Sykes

Other Music

15 E. Fourth St., between Broadway and Lafayette Street; (212) 477-8150 As the name suggests, this is not the place to find Britney Spears. Underground rockers Cibo Matto or Belle & Sebastian are about as mainstream as you’ll get at this West Village shop, which is across the street from Tower Records. Everything else falls into such outre categories as “Electronica,” “Krautrock,” “Groove,” “Psychedelia,” “La Decadanse,” or just plain “Out.” – R.S.S.

COSMETICS

C.O. Bigelow

414 Sixth Ave., between Eighth and Ninth streets; (212) 533-2700

In a landmark-status building with gas-fired chandeliers, you’ll find this West Village treasure, the nation’s oldest apothecary. The wooden shelves hold cosmetics, colognes and lots of toilet articles, including a badger-bristle shaving brush from England. Bigelow also has its own house brand. For $21, you can get a travel bag full of Bigelow stuff, including lavender-and-peppermint-scented soap, shampoo and conditioner. – B.H.

Follow your nose to Fresh, where food meets skin care. The hottest seller? A sumptuous body scrub made from brown sugar ($58). Milk-chocolate body creams and soy face cleansers are popular, too, and they’re good for the sun, offering the protection of SPF 20. – B.H.

Clyde’s on Madison

926 Madison Ave., at 74th Street; (212) 744-5050.

You can get prescriptions filled there, but that’s not why all the beauty addicts on the Upper East Side shop at Clyde’s. They go for the selection, which is stunningly expansive (not to mention interestingly displayed), including an array of international beauty products from haute brands like Guerlain. Also, check out yummy-smelling goodies like the chic Rigaud candles.